Hell Hath No Fury
by Seshat
Summary: *SEQUEL* to It's So Difficult to be Mature. Read that first! Lily Potter, daughter of the Boy Who Lived, is in her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. But a few people suddenly appear and her last year at Hogwarts could become her last year, period.
1. Expectations

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything except what I made up. If you're a true HP fan, you ought to know what's what.

A/N: I'm Baaaccckkk! This is the sequel to It's So Difficult to be Mature so read that first because otherwise this will make no sense. It's from the PoV of Harry's daughter Lily who is in her seventh year at Hogwarts. Oh, and don't worry, Lily will NOT be a Mary Sue. Those of you who have experienced my writings before know that I'm good at character flaws. Almost too good.

I don't want to confuse anyone, but Lily calls all of Ron's sibling's 'Uncle' and that's because Harry was practically adopted into the Weasley family and so the Weasleys treat Lily and James like more grandkids.

And darn it, I discovered something that people are confused over. In the last chapter of ISDTBM, I said that one of Lucretia's Follower's was named Susan, not Suzanne, Lisa's mum. Susan was the pseudo–Hermione and she's a Follower, but she's not Lisa's mum. Capeesh?

Also, a possibly confusing thing, practically everyone has more than one nickname. For example, Lily is called Lil or Lils, James is called Jamie or Jim, Geoffrey is called Geoff, Destiny is called Desi and Tiny, and Albert and Melinda are known as Bert and either Mel, Linda, or Molly. So there you go.

Summary: Lily Potter, the daughter of the Boy Who Lived, is in her seventh and final year at Hogwarts. But how can she have a normal year with creepy midnight visitors, students disappearing mysteriously, a crazy murderess who's out for revenge, and the fact that she's falling for her best friend? Sometimes it isn't easy to be a teenage witch.

Hell Hath No Fury

Chapter 1: Expectations

Hullo. I'm Lily Potter. I know what you're thinking, and no, not that Lily Potter. She was my grandmum. And yes, that makes me the daughter of Harry Potter. Don't say it, I beg of you. Don't say those four words. You're going to say them anyway, aren't you? *Sigh* Alright. "The Boy Who Lived." I hate that expression as much as my dad does.

I look a lot like my dad. I have his same unruly black hair, only mine falls to my shoulders and curls at the ends. I normally wear it up, to keep it out of my face. I have his eyes too, and he told me that he got them from his mother, so both generations of Lily Potters had the same bright emerald green eyes. I like my eyes, I think they're my best feature.

My brother James, who was, of course, named for our grandfather, doesn't look like either dad or his namesake. He looks like a male version of Mum, the way I look like a female version of Dad. He has light brown hair, though his has the characteristics of Dad's in the way that it always sticks up no matter what he does to it. The Curse of the Potter Children, Mum calls it. Jamie also has Mum's ice blue eyes, over which he does have to wear glasses like Dad, and her nose. I, on the other hand, have my own nose. It didn't belong to anyone else first.

This story that I'm going to tell took place in my seventh year at Hogwarts. I was a Prefect. When people hear my name they ask me why I wasn't Head Girl like my grandmum. Everyone wants to know that. They hear the name Lily Potter and expect me to be just like my namesake, who by all accounts was a brilliant witch. I'm just average. And if I manage to finally convince them that I'm not my grandmother, then they expect me to be like my father. We're really nothing alike, except for physical appearance and a love of Quidditch. I was Keeper on the Gryffindor team and I'm really very good; that's why I was captain. Quidditch was practically my life, I suppose. It's the only thing that seems to come naturally to me.

But I'm really nothing like my dad. I mean, sure, I'm a great Quidditch player and I look a lot like him, but we have completely different personalities. I'm rather serious and studious, with a stubborn streak Dad says I get from Mum. I suppose that the main difference between my dad and myself is our confidence levels. He's very sure of himself and has a forceful personality. I, on the other hand, have much less confidence in my abilities, except for Quidditch. I would prefer to be overlooked, but as the daughter of the Boy Who Lived, I'm constantly in the spotlight. I'm not a truly sociable person either. I have a sense of humor, but it's really only apparent to my best friends. 

So here goes. This is a story that my mother asked me to write down so I wouldn't forget it. As if I possibly could! It was the craziest year of my life, and I've had some crazy ones. I mean, it's difficult to be normal when you're the daughter of a famous wizard and have a little brother whose middle name is trouble. But I tried. The events of my seventh year just, well, got out of control. But I promised my mother I'd write it all down so that someday when I have children I can look back and marvel that I survived long enough to have them. So here goes:

Dad had just dropped us off at Platform 9 3/4. I couldn't wait until the end of the year when I could take my Apparition test. Dad left Jamie and me outside the barrier. He says that having everyone stare at him is disconcerting and the young kids who don't know better point and whisper which is very trying for him. Jamie and I assured him that we didn't mind and that we were certainly old enough to go through the barrier by ourselves. Dad gave me the annual "look after your brother" lecture and I rolled my eyes—just like always. 

"I've got it, Dad. No need to worry. If Jamie hasn't died by now, I doubt he ever will."

My joke didn't go over as expected. Dad's expression darkened. 

"Just be careful, Lil. And there will be a surprise waiting for you at school. Have fun."

A surprise? Normally I liked surprises, but when you're a witch, surprises aren't always good. Jamie and I promised to owl him and he disappeared. I turned to my brother.

"Okay, Jamie, do me a favor and don't blow up the Platform? At least keep a hold on the pranks until we've reached Hogwarts."

He gave me an angelic 'who me?' look, but I wasn't fooled for a minute. I knew my brother far too well. Then we grabbed our trunks and Jamie's owl, Loki, and fell through the barrier. As soon as we were through, I heard a voice call my name.

"Lils!" 

It was my best friend Geoffrey Weasley calling. His reddish hair was clearly visible over the heads of everyone and I made my way over to him. As soon as I got close enough, he wrapped me in a hug. I laughed.

"Hullo, Geoff. Long time no see." This was a joke between us because his parents and mine were best friends and we were practically raised together. That might have accounted for the way we could almost read one another's minds, but I think it was just because we were good friends. His parents had practically adopted me and vice versa. Our brothers were inseparable as well.

"What did you do with Jim?" Geoff asked, adopting his own nickname for my brother. 

I rolled my eyes again. "I have no idea. He's probably found Dave by now and they're wreaking havoc."

Geoff laughed. "Probably," he agreed. "But don't let David catch you calling him 'Dave'."

I was surprised. I always called Geoff's little brother 'Dave'. "Why ever not?"

Geoffrey made a face. "He's going through a phase. It's a 'no nicknames' phase. It's only David, not Dave, or Davy, or 'Id. Drives Mum nuts because she's so used to calling him Davy, but he won't respond to it anymore."

I laughed too, because I could just picture Geoff's mum, Professor Weasley, getting upset with her son. It happened all the time. Professor Weasley had a low toleration for David's love of practical jokes, which she blamed on her brothers–in–law, Fred and George Weasley.

"Have you seen anyone else?" I asked, searching for some of our other friends. Geoff and I were the closest, but we were also really close friends with two others in our year. Emily Paul and Christopher Wallace were also in Gryffindor, and together we were known as the Pack. At least that's what most of the other students called us when referring to us as a unit. It saved time since we were usually together. 

"Nope," he replied. "You're the first. Want to secure our place on the train?"

As Prefects, we were supposed to sit in special reserved carriages, but Emily and Christopher weren't Prefects, so we always sat with them. 

"Sure," I replied. "Hey, do you know who made Head Girl and Boy this year?"

He nodded. "But you aren't going to like it. Elana and Dylan are our leaders for the whole year."

I didn't mind Dylan. I had always kind of thought of him as someone who didn't have much going on upstairs, but I guess I was wrong. Elana on the other hand, I loathed. She was a horrible Slytherin girl who had it out for me because her mother hated my father. Apparently her mother, Pansy Parkinson, had been a horrible person too.

"That's too bad. But since I generally don't listen to the Heads anyway, it won't matter. Come on, we need a vacant compartment."

We were just going to step on the train when we heard an explosion. Geoff and I exchanged annoyed glances.

"It's your turn," Geoff said to me. "I already had to yell at David for setting his iguana on Aunt Margaret two days ago."

"But that was two days ago," I pointed out. "I told Jamie off for putting frogspawn all over my trunk this morning."

"Ha! I can beat that. Some of David's fireworks went off in the car. I win, you have to do it."

I growled. "Fine, but next time it's you. Now that we're at Hogwarts we're back on schedule." I stormed off to find my little brother.

Now, I should probably explain. You see, while my friends and I were called the Pack, Jamie, David and two of their friends were called the Marauders, the second generation, after my legendary grandfather, great–uncle Sirius, and great–uncle Remus. Now, assuming you know who they are (or were), you can probably guess why my brother and his friends were called that. That's right, because of their obsession with causing trouble.

My brother, like me, had always felt that he was in someone's shadow. So at a very young age he decided that if he was going to be named James Potter, he was going to act like James Potter. Therefore he would be the prince of pranksters. With some help from Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus, Uncle Fred, and Uncle George, he had so far succeeded. And he dragged David down with him.

I warned him to keep a hold on the pranks, at least until we got to school, but did he listen? No, of course not. So I would have to yell at him. Geoff and I had a deal; on the first day of school we compared stories and whoever had gone the longest without yelling at a brother had to be the first one to punish. Then we took turns.

I found Jamie when he came running off the train, laughing hysterically. He stopped immediately when he saw me.

"Alright, Jamie. Out with it. Who did you prank and how much damage is there?"

My brother attempted to look offended, but it was a particular look that he couldn't carry off. "Aww, Lil, we didn't do anything! It wasn't our fault, I swear!"

I glared at him. "Right, and if I believe that you have a bridge in Florida you'd like to sell me."

"What?" Jamie said confusedly.

"Never mind. Who was it and with what?"

David chose that moment to hop off the train, laughing but also running for his life. He quickly hid behind me, although not successfully, since David was quite tall and I was not. A moment later I saw why he was trying to hide.

A big burly fifth year student came tearing down the steps of the train. His face was covered in soot, his hair was standing on end, and his eyes were popping out of his head. He was also bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"Come here, Weasley, Potter! I'll curse you something awful!"

He suddenly came to a screeching halt when he saw me. I smothered a laugh and tried to look stern.

"Look what your brother and his friend did to me, Potter!" he howled.

"That's enough, Crabbe," I said sternly. "I'll speak to them. You might want to, er, get cleaned up."

He glared at my brother and David one last time before stomping back onto the train. Once he was safely out of sight, Jamie and David started laughing again.

"Alright, what was it? And how many detentions should I give for it?" That got their attention.

"It wasn't our fault, Lil," David said stubbornly. "That stupid lummox stormed into our compartment and grabbed them before we could stop him. Just grabbed them right off the seat and stuffed them into his oversized mouth, isn't that right, Jim?"

"Right," Jamie agreed. "It wasn't our fault at all. We tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen."

I sighed deeply. It was never their fault. "What was it?"

They exchanged a glance. Jamie mumbled something incoherently.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"Bon Bombs," Jamie muttered.

I shook my head. "I'm going to kill Uncle Fred and George. Hand them over."

Jamie looked scandalized. "No! They were my birthday present, you can't do that, Lil!"

"Jamie, I'll give you five detentions each if you don't hand over the rest of those Bon Bombs."

Grumbling under his breath about maniacal sisters, he pulled a bag out of his robes pocket and handed it to me. I stuffed them in my own robes.

"Now get on the train, and if something else happens before we get to Hogwarts, I'll take fifty points from Gryffindor."

Both boys scowled at me. Then Jamie whispered something in David's ear and a familiar grin spread across both their faces. They ran onto the train before I could say anything. I cursed myself for my stupidity. Fred and George never sent my brother just one thing, they sent whatever prototype was lying around the factory. No doubt Jamie had plenty more. Oh well, let someone else deal with it. I had done my duty.

I climbed onto the train just in time, it was about to start pulling away from the station. I made my way through crowded compartments filled with energized students until I found the last compartment on the train and went inside. My friends were there waiting for me.

"What took you so long?" Chris asked.

"I had to yell at my brother. So, how were your summers?"

I'll take a minute here to tell you about my friends. I'll start with Emily. Emily Paul was half and half, her mum was a witch and her dad was a muggle. Her mum and my dad played Quidditch together and Emily played Quidditch too. She was the Seeker on our team. She had short curly blonde hair, serious brown eyes, and a nice smile. Her father insisted that some things in her life be done the muggle way so her smile was marred by braces. Em was often rather quiet in school, but she could be loud if she wanted to—she usually just didn't want to.

Christopher Wallace, usually just called Chris, was muggleborn. He had come into our world knowing nothing, but after becoming friends with Geoff and me, he learned quickly. He had spiked purple hair, and a desire to be a punk rocker. Don't ask. One of the first spells he insisted on learning was the one that changed hair color, he said it was much easier than dying it. I think he just wanted attention, and he certainly got it. He had a pierced ear, like Geoff's uncle Bill, with a skull earring, and dragonhide boots. He was always trying to convince Professor McGonagall to let him change his school robes, but she always refused, so he looked for some other way to stand out.

Now I'll tell you more about Geoff. He looked just like his father, tall with red hair, although his wasn't as vibrant as his dad's or uncles' because his mum was a brunette. He was very much into school, I think because his mum put so much pressure on him. I know he was disappointed because he wasn't made Head Boy. He'd get over it. Geoff had a very positive personality and he didn't brood over anything for long. That's why I liked him.

Emily smiled at me. "Not bad. I had the old grill tightened a few times. My orthodontist said I might have them off during winter vacation. What about you? How's your mum?"

It was typical of Emily to show concern. She was a very empathetic person. Of course, my mum's condition was something that usually provoked empathy. You see, my mum is paralyzed. She has to be in a wheelchair. 

"She's fine," I replied. "Same as always. What did you do this summer, Chris?"

He grinned at me. Next to me, of course, Chris was Geoff's best friend. "I got a tatoo."

We all gasped. Emily's eyes narrowed slightly. "I thought you said your body was your temple and that you'd never, ever, deface it."

Chris shot her a smile. "Quit being such an old nag, Em. It prematurely ages you. Don't worry, it's fake."

I had been raised knowing I was a witch, but both mum and dad thought it was a good idea that Jamie and I were familiar with the muggle world. We had a television, microwave, and even a telephone, but I had never heard of a temporary tattoo.

"Is it some sort of spell?" I asked.

Chris laughed. "No. Ha, pureblood! It's kind of like a sticker for your skin."

I ignored him and turned to Geoff. "How are the twins doing?"

"They're fine. I think that they've finally accepted it, and it's a good thing they have each other. I know that it makes it easer on them."

When I was four years old, Professor Weasley had twins, a girl and a boy. They had been the first Weasleys in I don't know how long to be placed in Ravenclaw and I knew it was often very trying for them. After all, all of their father's siblings and their offspring had been Gryffindors. Melinda and Albert were very shy and quiet, even more so than Emily, and they kept to themselves mostly. I knew Uncle Fred and George were disappointed that neither set of Weasley twins in our generation were wild troublemakers. Percy's sons, Willy and Arthur, were in their sixth year and they were exactly like their father. So Fred and George put their efforts behind Jamie and David, who were enough alike that they could have been twins.

Emily had turned to Chris and was asking to see his tattoo. Chris had made some vulgar joke about it, and I leaned in towards Geoff.

"Have you seen Tiny?" I whispered. He shook his head.

Destiny Aileen Malfoy, called Tiny or Desi, was the daughter of Draco and Ginny Malfoy. She was a petite little thing with the most gorgeous strawberry–blonde hair, grey eyes like ice, a heart–shaped face, delicately curved lips, and porcelain skin. In other words, at fourteen she was already breathtaking. Many people made the mistake of judging her by her appearance, and assumed she was 'fragile'. She was in fact the very opposite.

Tiny was not an easy person to get along with. She was sullen and argumentative and quite spoiled by her parents. It was common knowledge around the Tower that the other Gryffindors thought she belonged in Slytherin, especially considering who her father was. But the hat said Gryffindor and so Gryffindor she was. In her first year, Geoff and I had made it our responsibility to look after her, and that's when our parents told us the secret.

We weren't allowed to tell anyone, including Destiny herself, but our parents wanted us to watch her. It was vital they said, and then they told us why. Apparently, Destiny was some sort of all–powerful witch with enough magic to destroy the world. We were supposed to watch and see how she handled that power. Tiny tolerated us, but she didn't like us much. She had even less affection for Jamie and David whose pranks she found "juvenile". 

"I hope she's alright," I said, worried slightly. If we didn't watch her she got herself into a lot of trouble when she felt she was 'defending' herself. She was very quick to whip out her wand and curse someone and because of her power, she had already mastered magic ahead of her year. She took advanced courses at Hogwarts.

"I'm sure she's fine. She's probably found some friends—" Geoff stopped short. Destiny didn't have any friends. It was a source of worry to her mother, but her father didn't seem too concerned. Then again, Uncle Draco was never concerned about anything.

"Isn't another Weasley entering this year?" Chris asked, when he and Emily had stopped examining the fake tattoo.

Geoff shrugged. "Probably. I think it's Uncle Fred and Aunt Angelina's daughter. Only one this year though. It's a good thing, too. This school is overrun by Weasleys."

He wasn't exaggerating. There was practically a Weasley in every year in Gryffindor, plus the two in Ravenclaw.

"I can't wait until the end of this year," Chris said, leaning back and closing his eyes. Then he suddenly opened them. "Oh, damn, where's Morton?"

Morton was Chris' toad. Geoff, Emily, and I had tried many times over the years to convince Chris that toads were outdated, but he wouldn't listen. He said that he wanted to be different and no one had toads. Besides, his sister had given him Morton and he was very close to his sister.

There was a frenzied search through our cabin, and when he didn't show up, we spread out and went hunting through the other compartments. I walked through and found myself in a compartment with only one occupant. It was Tiny.

She was making shapes in front of her with only her hand; no wand was visible. She had an intense look of concentration on her pretty face.

"Wow," I said. "How do you do that?"

I startled her and broke her concentration. The shapes fell shattered to the floor. Tiny regarded me coldly. 

"Can I help you?"

"Have you seen a toad, Tiny?"

"No. Now, if you don't mind, I'm busy." Tiny took out a book and began to study it intently.

I shrugged and left the compartment. There was just no understanding that girl. She stopped me just as I reached the door.

"Do you ever wonder what happened to your mother?" she asked.

I stopped completely, shocked. "I know what happened. She's never made any secret of it. She was in an accident."

Destiny shook the sheet of strawberry–blonde hair. I wondered if she had veela blood. "No, she's lying, or at least not telling the whole truth. I've heard things, Lily. My parents were talking this morning about something that happened fourteen years ago. It had to do with your mother's 'accident'."

I felt my heart beat faster. "What is it?"

"It was a woman. I don't know the details, but she was after something my parents had; your mother stood in her way."

She said this with a finality of tone that indicated the conversation was over. I left in a daze. Could Tiny be telling the truth? There was something about that girl that gave me the chills. I hurried back to my own compartment. Apparently Chris had found Morton.

"I found Tiny," I told Geoff. "She was doing magic without a wand."

He froze. "You mean she made something explode?"

"No, I mean that she was doing concentrated wandless magic. That girl scares me, Geoff."

I didn't mention what she said about my mother. I don't know why, usually Geoff and I shared everything.

"She scares everyone," Geoff said with a shrug. "I know Aunt Ginny worries about her."

"How could normal people like your Aunt and Uncle have such a strange daughter?" I asked.

"Don't know. Let's not talk about her, Lil. Tiny can handle herself."

"Sometimes too well," I muttered. 

Then Chris began a discussion of all the things we had to do during our seventh year and that conversation took up most of the train ride to school. But my mind wasn't on the conversation. I was thinking of what Tiny said. 

You see, Mum never made a secret of what happened to her. She said that she was in an accident as was Geoff's father and that she had been paralyzed. Geoff's dad, Ron, wasn't in perfect health either, he walked with a slight limp and had occasional heart trouble, but he was far better off than my mum. I never really asked about the accident, because I could tell that it was a sensitive subject. There were two things you never talked about in my house while Jamie and I were growing up: Mum's accident and Voldemort.

Jamie and I were always being asked questions about Dad's victory over the Dark Lord and Mum and Dad hated it. They didn't want us connected in any way to He Who Shall Not Be Named. Fortunately, Voldemort was gone for good; Dad, Uncle Ron, and Uncle Draco vanquished him. I don't really know how they did it, because Dad hates talking about it. I think that my dad wishes with all of his heart that he had grown up an ordinary wizard. All the publicity was very burdensome for him.

And yet, as I got older, particularly in the few years before I went to Hogwarts, I could tell that something was bothering my parents. They seemed to feel that Voldemort was still around, or something. They were rather overprotective of us. I understood that they had spent so many years fearing for their own lives, but Voldemort was gone. There was no one to fear.

We were almost to the Hogsmeade Station when we had an unexpected and unwelcome guest to our compartment. Her name was Samantha Wood, daughter of international Quidditch star Oliver Wood, and she was a Gryffindor like we were. There was only one word to describe Samantha: pristine. Her designer robes were always immaculate, every strand of her dark brown hair was in place, whatever makeup she chose to wear was perfectly applied, the list goes on. My friends and I didn't like Samantha. She was a horrible snob and very jealous of me. Geoff said there were three reasons: 1) I got more attention than she did and I didn't even want it, 2) she and I tried out for the Quidditch team at the same time and only I made it, and 3) she had a crush on him, but he ignored her. I pointed out that that had nothing to do with me, but he claimed Samantha saw me as a roadblock in her path to him.

So there she stood, looking as perfect as only she could. She had her typically haughty expression firmly in place. She waved a manicured hand at Geoff who turned slightly red.

"Just thought I'd tell you that we're almost there. Oh, and Elana Flint told me to tell you that you and Lily must come up to the Prefect's carriage for the passwords."

Then she turned and left. Samantha wasn't a Prefect; she was far more interested in boys, makeup, and clothing, like a typical muggle teenage girl. I found her sickening, personally. I gave Geoff a look and sighed.

"Come on, Geoff, we'd better go. We'll be back," I said to Emily and Chris. They only nodded, and Emily pulled out a pack of Exploding Snap cards.

Geoff and I made our way toward the front of the train. We passed through Tiny's compartment, but she ignored us, so we did likewise. We had just come out of a compartment filled with a bunch of nervous first years when Geoff suddenly spoke.

"Have you ever noticed how everyone we know goes by a nickname?"

I laughed. "That's true. Well, except for David now. Why do you bring it up?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I just kind of realized that almost no one calls me Geoffrey or you Lily. You're always Lil."

"It's the same reason that no one calls Jamie James. It's Jamie or Jim, but never James. We're sick of people comparing us to our grandparents." I sighed. "Do you ever feel that people expect you to be like your mum? Or your dad?"

Geoff looked at me strangely. "Not really. Mum would like me to be as good a student as she was, but otherwise, no. And no one expects me to be like my father. Why?"

"Because I'm sick of the expectations," I said in frustration. "I'm nothing like the other members of my family except for having a love of Quidditch."

He placed a friendly arm around my shoulders. "Don't worry, Lil. Just be the best Lil Potter you can be and forget what people think. You never worry about it usually."

He just didn't understand, but I couldn't blame him. He wasn't the child of the "Boy Who Lived". 

"I just want Quidditch season to begin so I'll have something to keep me busy," I said.

"Going to win Gryffindor the Cup this year, Lil?" Geoff asked.

"Of course," I replied. "As I have for the past two years. I can't claim all the credit, though. Em's a terrific Seeker, and we have the best Chasers. And surprisingly enough, Willy and Arthur make good Beaters. I think it has something to do with being twins. Weren't your uncles incredible Beaters?"

Geoff nodded. "Twins have a sort of ESP thing. I know Bert and Molly can often read each other's minds. I admit it though, Willy and Arthur are the last people I would think of as Beaters. But they're good."

We made it to the Prefects compartment, took a deep breath, and entered together. It was filled with noisy chatter, although I was sad to see that even the Prefects had segregated themselves by House. We got a few smiles from the Hufflepuff Prefects, sneers from the Slytherins, and nothing from the Ravenclaws who were too busy reading. Elana noticed our entry and stood up. Her platinum blonde hair fell to her waist and she was already mocking us.

"It's about time you got here," she said immediately. "Prefects are supposed to sit together. Here are your House passwords, and I did not look." She glared at me as if I was about to say she had. "And Potter, do us all a favor and read the password properly."

I flushed. Once in my fifth year I misread the password because the handwriting had been smeared and so everyone I told it to couldn't get into the Tower. I was about to take a step forward and smack her (something I had wanted to do since we first met), but Geoff grabbed the back of my robes and held me back. I calmed down almost immediately.

"Look, Flint, do all of us a favor and drop dead," I replied. Geoff snickered.

Elana's eyes narrowed. "I'm Head Girl, you can't talk to me like that!"

"I'll talk to you in any way I want to. I wouldn't be surprised to find that you had your mummy bribe the teachers into making you Head Girl." I was surprised at how I was acting, but couldn't seem to stop. Elana had that effect on me.

Elana had pulled out her wand and, seeing that, I pulled out mine. Dylan Kamata interfered. 

"Girls, girls, let's stop this right now. The term hasn't even started yet." He looked at Geoff who was doing nothing to interfere. "A little help, Geoffrey?"

Geoff folded his arms over his chest and remained where he was. "You seem to be doing fine, Kamata."

Dylan glared at him. "Fine. Look, Elana, Lily, let's just calm down."

I tossed my hair. "Fine, I'm leaving."

I turned and stomped out of the carriage. Geoff followed right behind me. I didn't speak until we got into our compartment, not even to yell at Jamie who ran past me at one point. When we finally reached the carriage where Em and Chris were waiting, I threw myself down on one of the seats and huffed.

"I hate her!"

Em and Chris looked up from their Exploding Snap game. Then they glanced at Geoff.

"I'm guessing Lils had a run–in with the illustrious Elana?" Em commented.

"Of course, nothing else bothers her as much," Geoff replied.

"I just want to get to Hogwarts where I'll hardly have to see her," I said grumpily.

I got my wish a few moments later when the train pulled into the station. As I jumped off the train and headed to one of the horseless carriages, my nose caught the scent of dung. As in Dungbombs. So when a certain Marauder ran past me, I grabbed him by the back of his robes.

"Not so fast Jamie Potter," I said. Jamie twisted and turned, trying to get out of my grasp. "I said if anything else happened on the train, I'd take points from Gryffindor."

Before Jaime could reply, another voice piped up. "Ah, but you said on the train, Lil. We didn't drop the Dungbombs until we got off the train. Not to mention that term hasn't officially started yet, so you can't take points."

That was McKenzie Thomas. He was another Marauder, one of Jaime's best friends. His dad and mine were friends as well, they had been in the same dorm at Hogwarts. McKenzie was practically a genius, he had attended muggle primary school before attending Hogwarts and his scores were through the roof. He often sounded like he had swallowed his text book, but according to Jaime, he had a weak spot for pranks.

"Look, McKenzie," I said, losing my patience. "Train or no train, I said keep a hold on the pranks."

McKenzie was about to reply, but Jaime grabbed his arm and pulled him over to a carriage where David and the fourth Marauder, Lenny Dakota, were waiting. I sighed, waved a quick hello to Hagrid, and hopped into a carriage with my friends. We rode up to the castle and were sent into the Great Hall to take our seats and wait for the Sorting to begin. 

You don't really need the details of the Sorting, so I won't tell you. All you need to know is that Lauren Weasley was placed in Gryffindor and welcomed happily by her cousins and older sister Martha.

The feast was terrific as usual. As a seventh year and Prefect it was my responsibility to welcome the first year Gryffindors. I had sandwiched a young girl with light brown hair in between myself and Em. Geoff sat across from us next to a first year boy. I looked up at them and Geoff made a face at me. I laughed.

"So tell me something about yourself, Nicole," I said with a smile. Nicole smiled timidly back.

"I'm very nervous," she whispered. Em looked at me over the top of Nicole's head and we exchanged a smile.

"Everyone's nervous when they start out, Nicole," Em said kindly. "But you're a Gryffindor, and that's the best House. Don't worry, everyone will look out for you."

"If you ever need our help," I said, "don't hesitate to ask. Just ask for Emily Paul or Lily Potter."

Nicole's eyes opened wide. "Potter? Is your dad—"

I sighed. It still happened. "Harry Potter. Yes, he is."

I glanced down the table where Jaime, David, McKenzie, and Lenny were sitting. All four were laughing about something (I was sure I didn't want to know what), but Jamie was also staring at something or someone at the end of the table. I followed his gaze. 

He seemed to be staring at Tiny. As usual she was sitting at the very end of the table, right on the edge of everything, as if she didn't belong. She was reading a textbook about Animagi. I hoped that Jamie hadn't planned a prank on her. He ought to have known better. In Tiny's first year (Jamie's second) he and his friends charmed water balloons to follow her around and break over her head. Jamie had been in the Hospital Wing for a week when she was finished with him.

"Lily?" said a little voice in my ear.

I started. "Oh, I'm sorry, Nicole. I was lost in thought."

"That's alright," she said uneasily. "I was just wondering when we could go to bed."

"Not for a little while yet," I replied. "Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress, has to say a few words first."

Not long after I said that, she stood up. I looked at the line of teachers. Geoff's mum smiled at us and gave us a little wave before resuming her conversation with Professor Vector, who taught Arithmancy. Professor Snape was suspiciously absent from the table, but I knew better than to hope he had retired. I saw him sweep down into the dungeons when the carriages pulled up. I wondered who our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor would be. We had a new one practically every year, it's a cursed position. According to my parents, it was the same when they went to school. You would think that by then Hogwarts had run through every available Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. So as I scanned the lines, I was surprised to see that there was more than one unfamiliar face. And one that was very familiar.

I leaned across the table. "Hey, Geoff, doesn't that woman look familiar?"

He turned to look where I was pointing and his jaw dropped. "It can't be. Why would she be here?"

I shrugged, equally surprised. "I have no idea. But it is. It's Jeanette!"

Dr. Jeanette Mills–Lupin was an old family friend and married to one of my Grandfather's best friends. She was the family doctor and the woman who treated my mum and Geoff's dad after their accident. She worked with my dad a lot because she wasn't only a doctor. She worked with Uncle Sirius and her husband, Uncle Remus, at M.A.T.D.A. There wasn't time for any further thought on the subject though, because Professor McGonagall started to speak.

"I welcome you all, old and new, to Hogwarts. I hope that we have an excellent term. As some of you returning students may have noticed, we have a few new additions to our staff this year. First, I regret to inform you that Professor Flitwick, our Charms Professor, has decided to retire." There were a few 'ohs' before she resumed. "But I am proud to welcome Professor Levine as our new Charms Professor."

Upon hearing this name I literally jumped. I think Geoff, David, and Jamie did too. A dark haired witch stood up from her seat next to Hagrid and nodded in a businesslike way. Inspector Meredith Levine was another old family friend. She and Jeanette were best friends. What was going on? I exchanged a glance with Geoff and saw that he was gaping at his mother, who was now avoiding our gaze.

"Next, I am pleased to welcome Professor Bones as our new Muggle Studies Professor." A red–headed witch, who reminded me of Aunt Ginny, stood up and smiled, before resuming her seat. "And finally in the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts," Professor McGonagall paused and the corners of her lips twitched as there was a smattering of laughter throughout the Hall; it was common knowledge that the position was cursed and we usually got the oddest assortment of Professors. Last year the teacher was part elf. "Professor Lupin. Please make them feel welcome here. Prefects, lead the way to your Houses."

So she chose to go by Lupin here, interesting. I supposed that Professor Mills–Lupin was just too much. Jeanette also stood up and smiled. She winked at me and Geoff. 

Nicole was tugging on my robes. "Lily, is something wrong?"

"What?" I said distractedly. "Oh, sorry. No, nothing's wrong. And call me Lil. I think we should go now." I shot Geoff a pointed look. I knew he wanted to talk to Jeanette and Meredith, not to mention his mother, but our first responsibility was to the other students. I lead a group of first years up to the Tower. We stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Alright, listen up! This is the entrance to our common room, the password for the time being, because it changes, is Laffy Taffy." The portrait swung open revealing the room. "Alright, everyone in."

They all climbed through the portrait hole and I heard a few 'ooh's and 'ah's. Geoff was right behind me. He led all the first year boys to their dorms and I led the girls. As soon as everyone was settled in, I went and found my dormitory. Everyone was already there.

Em, kind soul that she was, had saved me a bed next to hers and as far from Samantha's as possible. The only other girl in our dorm, Claire Eagle, was busy unpacking. I didn't mind Claire, but I don't think she liked me very much. Few people did.

As soon as I unpacked my pajamas, I got into bed. There would be plenty of time to talk to Jeanette and Meredith in the morning. The other girls did the same, and Em and I performed our First Night At School Ritual, which was to make one wish which we hoped would come true. I wished for Gryffindor to win the Quidditch Cup, which was what I usually wished for, and Em wished for a passing score in Charms. Then we said good night and went to sleep. 

I woke from a wonderful dream and looked at my watch. It was two a.m. The reason for my waking soon became apparent.

Someone was knocking on the window by my bed.

A/N: Hello, I hope you enjoyed that. Review please. 


	2. Surprise, Surprise

Disclaimer: I wish. That's all.

A/N: I think that's a record for me as the longest first chapter ever. Expect the chapters for this story to be very, very long. 

I'm sorry it took so long to post, but I have been so busy with school. (Damn those evil spawn). But the ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL news is that school is over in a week! I have three months of writing time! It will be wonderful and I plan to get so much done.

Oh, and many of you said that the whole children thing was confusing to you, so I made a chart. It will be the last chapter of this story so you can refer to it. 

Ten reviews for one chapter isn't bad, not bad at all. Let's see if we can make it more for this one.

Chapter 2: Surprise, Surprise

I was still groggy. That's my excuse for slow reflexes. When I finally realized what was happening, I got out of bed and moved over to the window. I was carrying my Supernova broomstick, fully prepared to bash whatever it was over the head. I checked to make sure my dorm mates were still asleep; they were. Then I eased open the window.

A shadowed figure slipped in as if he were made of smoke. I jumped back and the figure came forward. It was a man, approximately my father's age. I was fully prepared to scream when he cast a silencing spell over me. I couldn't speak.

"I'll remove the spell," the man said hoarsely, "as soon as you promise not to say a word. And you must listen to me. It is vital that you hear my story. I don't want to hurt you, I promise."

I nodded mutely, and the spell was lifted. He hesitated a minute and cast another spell on the girls in my dorm. I started to protest, but he hushed me.

"It's only a sleeping spell. I don't want to be overheard, this is for your ears only." He stepped in front of the window and his features were illuminated; this was definitely a man I had never seen before.

He noticed my fear and cackled. His robes were worn and torn, splashed with mud, and frayed at the bottoms. He looked as if he had worn the same robes for months on end. He had short brown hair, roughly cut, so I assumed he had done it himself.

"Who are you?" I asked fearfully. "Are you an escaped convict? Are you going to murder me?"

The man laughed scornfully. "Obviously you don't recognize me. Although, why should you? The last time I saw you, you were only four years old. Don't I remind you of someone, though?"

I peered at him. It wasn't so much a physical appearance, although the coloring was the same, it was more about mannerisms. The tilt of the head, the gestures, the way his nose twitched.

"You do sort of remind me of my mother," I confessed. "I don't know why though."

He grinned in a barbaric way. It was frightening. "I'm your uncle."

I froze. "You lie," I accused. "My mother has no brother!"

"No? Did Lisa rid her house of all of my pictures? It wouldn't surprise me, not after what she thinks happened, but tell me the truth, has she never mentioned me? Do you truly not remember me?"

I inspected him again. I remembered Mum saying something once about a brother, but I thought he was dead. I had come upon my mother once when she was crying in the kitchen. I asked Dad what had happened and he said mum had received some distressing news. Add the mysterious uncle to the list of things not talked about in the Potter household. Only now I was faced with the man who claimed to be that mysterious uncle.

"She thinks you're dead," I said flatly. He smiled wider.

"Is that so? Well, I'm not. Now, Lily, you can't tell anyone about this visit."

"You still haven't explained your presence, if you are who you say you are. Why should I believe anything you say? You could be a crazy axe–murderer. I'm probably dreaming!"

He smiled again. Then he reached out and gave me a large pinch. I jumped and swore.

"What was that for?" I said viciously.

"You're not dreaming. If you take a seat, I'll explain a few things to you." He indicated a chair and I sat warily. He took a breath and launched into his story. "My name is Ted Turpin. Lisa is indeed my sister. However, the reason you've never heard of me and that Lisa thinks I'm dead, is that thirteen years ago, I was framed for a murder I did not commit."

"There's a lot of that going around," I said offhandedly. I was thinking of Uncle Sirius who was sent to Azkaban for supposedly betraying my grandparents to their deaths. He didn't do it, though. Someone else did it. Add that to the list of things never spoken of in the Potter house.

"What?" Ted, I suppose I should call him Uncle Ted, said. Then he shook his head and said, "Never mind. The point is, I was sent to Azkaban. My family disowned me. Except for Lisa. She never visited or anything, Azkaban isn't the type of place you visit, but she wrote me. She told me she believed me, but she couldn't trust me. She knew I was innocent of murder, but believed I had other connections in the matter."

"Who did you supposedly kill?" I asked curiously, my fear abating.

He glared at me. "Does it really matter?" I said nothing. He sighed. "The ambassador to England from the German ministry."

"Wow, the big time. I thought it was a neighbor or something," I commented.

He glared at me again before continuing. "Anyway, I had been in Azkaban for ten years, so you were fourteen, I guess, and was scheduled for execution in a week. I was allowed to write to Lis, and I told her the news. That's why she thinks I'm dead. I suppose Harry rid the house of my face so as not to cause her pain, I don't know."

"But you're not dead," I pointed out.

"No, I'm coming to that. It was the night before my scheduled execution. I had resigned myself to my death. I was already imprisoned in Hell, I figured it couldn't get much worse."

"Look, cut down on the poetry, and get to the point," I said, exasperated.

He seemed stunned by my words. "Has anyone ever told you that you are an incredibly bratty and insolent child?"

"Many people. If you were hoping to be the first, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Continue please."

He continued. "I was all set to die, I figured it was better than going insane, when I woke in the night to discover my door was open and the Dementor who guarded it was gone. Not stopping to question my good fortune, I ran for it. To my immense surprise, for I assumed I would be caught before I got very far, my way was unimpeded. Then there was the problem of the water. As you probably know, Lily, Azkaban is an island. Water surrounds it. I discovered a boat waiting for me, and I escaped."

He looked at me expectantly, waiting for a snide remark; I didn't let him down.

"First of all, if you were in Azkaban for ten years, why didn't you go crazy?"

"It's hard to make a man go crazy when he's already insane," my uncle said with a smile.

I had left the window open and a breeze blew in, sending a chill down my spine. "What do you mean 'already insane'?"

"I was known for years as the crazy prophet. I'm a diviner, Lily. Look, none of this really matters, I have to tell you a few things before I disappear again. Will you listen?" I nodded. "Alright. Fourteen years ago, I told your father a prophecy of my own. I should have known he wouldn't recognize it's importance." I was offended by this insult to my father, but before I could voice my complaint, Uncle Ted continued. "You need to know it. So here it is: _In years yet to come, one girl will stand alone. She will fight the Hag and lose. But with the help of the Scholar and the Chosen One, she will triumph. But beware the one who walks in shadows. She must never forget where she comes from. She must seek aid from one below her, the Prankster, and in doing so will gain knowledge that will destroy the Hag._ Remember it."

He turned to leave, but I stopped him. "Wait! I don't understand any of this! You can't leave yet, why must I know this prophecy, how could it possibly concern _me_?"

Ted Turpin turned and the moonlight illuminated his face once more. He grinned his feral grin which didn't disturb me quite as much as it had before.

"Because you, Lily, are the prophecy. I'll keep in touch, there's more you need to know, but I can't stay now. If you want answers, I suggest you find out what really happened fourteen years ago."

And he disappeared out of the window.

I stood up, felt dizzy, and sat down hard in the chair. Had any of that really happened? It couldn't have. That had to be a dream. I gave myself a hard pinch.

"Ouch," I muttered. So it was no dream. I had a renegade uncle whom everyone thought was dead. Wonderful.

I climbed into bed and started to fall asleep. Then I suddenly remembered what Uncle Ted had done.

"_Finite Incantatem_," I whispered. My dorm mates' sleep was normal now. I fell asleep myself after a few minutes. 

I was woken with a shake by Em only a few hours later. She continued to shake me until I got up. I groaned and turned over.

"What's with you, Lil?" she asked, exasperated. "You act like you didn't sleep all night!"

I groaned again and pulled myself out of bed. Without responding to Em's statement, I dragged myself to the bathroom and took a long shower. The hot water helped to wake me up a bit, but my head was still swimming. What was going on? Maybe it all had been a dream. 

I slipped on my robes and went down for breakfast with Em. I was supposed to hand out course schedules that morning. I filled my plate with bacon and eggs, grabbed a glass of pumpkin juice, and passed them out to the first years. Geoff grinned at me from across the table.

"Mornin', Lil," he said through a mouthful of toast. "Got your schedule?"

"Right here," I said, waving the slip of paper. "Looks like I got your mum again. I've got that new Professor Bones for Muggle Studies, too. What about you?"

"I've got Divination again," Geoff said with a groan. "Every year I tell my mum I don't want to take it, that I'd rather take Arithmancy, but does she listen? No, she doesn't. She claims there's some school rule that says my mother can't teach me. Well fine, but why can't I take Study of Ancient Runes then? Mum hated Divination like I do, Dad told me, in fact, she even dropped it herself! But she won't let me..."

I wasn't exactly listening. Geoff's mention of Divination brought to mind my mysterious uncle, the crazy prophet. What had he meant? And what was it about the ordeal fourteen years ago? First Destiny mentioned it, then my uncle did; I had to find out what happened!

"Lil, are you even listening to me?" Geoff said, waving his hand in front of my eyes.

"What? Oh, sorry, I didn't sleep well last night."

Geoff gave me a look that clearly said, 'I don't believe you, Lily Potter, but I'll let it drop.'

"But, Lil, you were out faster than any of us," Em pointed out with a slight frown.

"I woke up in the middle of the night, alright?" I said irritably. "Leave me alone."

"Fine," Geoff said. "Are we going to talk to Meredith and Jeanette? I didn't get a chance to talk to Mum yet."

I examined my course schedule as I talked. "Of course we are. Don't you think it's a bit strange that they're both here?" Suddenly I groaned. "Oh no, we've got Potions first!"

"Double Potions first thing in the morning?" Chris, who had been rather quiet while he was busy stuffing his face, said in disbelief. "Are they trying to kill us?"

"And let me guess," Geoff said wryly. "We've got it with the Slytherins." 

I tapped my nose. "You've got it. That's what always happens. Gryffindor always has Potions with Slytherins. My dad said it was the same when he was in school. I think the Professors just want to torture us."

Samantha Wood chose that moment to grace us with her presence. She sat down on one side of Geoff, rudely shoving some first year aside, and promptly began giggling in his ear. She was wearing some thick flowery perfume that made me, Chris, and Em immediately start coughing. Her wrists jangled with all of the metal bracelets she was fond of wearing, and she flipped her hair a few times so that it hit Geoff in the face. My poor friend turned red and I smothered a laugh. I wasn't that mean—usually.

"Hello, Geoffrey," she cooed. "Lovely morning, no?"

He wanted desperately to ignore her, I could see that, and appealed to me to rescue him. I just sat back and enjoyed his discomfort. Samantha was ignoring the rest of us and focusing her, er, charms on Geoff. Em took pity on her friend and came to his rescue.

"Samantha, isn't that the cute captain of the Quidditch team over there? He's staring at you!"

The way Em imitated Samantha's exact tone when she was boy–hunting made me snort into my breakfast. Her ruse worked though, because Samantha immediately perked up and left the table in search of the cute boy. Geoff shot her a grateful look.

"Thanks Em, you're a real chum." He shot me an ungrateful look. "Better than some people."

I shrugged. "You deserved it. Consider it payback for making me be the first to yell at the Marauders yesterday."

Geoff smiled; our arguments lasted half a minute at most. "Speaking of the Marauders, guess what I blackmailed out of David this summer."

We all leaned in closer. Geoff grinned. "Guess who little Jim has a crush on?"

I was surprised. "Jamie? A crush? No! Really? Is she a Gryffindor?"

Geoff nodded. Em asked, "Is she above or below him?"

"Below," he responded. I scratched my head.

"Well, go on, who is it then?" Chris prompted. His hair that morning was neon red.

"It's Tiny," he said with a devilish grin.

I gasped. "No! Not Tiny! Are you serious? But she can't stand him!"

"I know," Geoff replied, grinning. Boys. "But you can't blame him, the girl is rather attractive. If she wasn't my cousin I could be interested."

I made a face. "Eew, Geoff, that's disgusting."

He only laughed. "Come on, Potions awaits. Want to try to talk to my mum before class?"

I examined my schedule. "Let's see, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts later today, but we don't have Charms until tomorrow. Why not? Let's see if we can solve this mystery.

So as The Pack, we walked over to Professor Weasley just as she was leaving the hall.

"Mum!" Geoff called. She stopped short, turned, and glared at her son.

"Geoff, what did I tell you about addressing me at school?" She folded her arms, but also winked at me. Geoff looked flustered.

"Sorry, Professor Weasley, but Lil and I needed to ask you a question. Why are Jeanette and Meredith here? Is the school being stacked against us or something?"

"_Professor_ Levine and _Professor_ Lupin are here to teach. Nothing more. As you know there is something of a teacher shortage and it's always difficult to find Defense Professors, so the two of them kindly stepped in upon my recommendation and filled the void. Now run off to class, all of you, you don't want to be late on the first day."

"Oh no, we'd hate to be late to Double Potions with the Slytherins," Chris muttered under his breath.

Professor Weasley heard him, but she only smiled. A lot of students compared her to Professor McGonagall in terms of strictness, but the Pack knew her to be fair with a sense of humor about some things. She unfortunately had a reputation to maintain at school, so we were usually the only ones to see the softer side of her. 

"Go, run along." She pushed us off into the direction of the dungeons. As much as we hated Potions, we really didn't want to be late. Professor Snape would take off a lot of points, and then the rest of our House would ostracize us even more. So we forgot about the mystery for a few minutes at least and concentrated on getting to class. 

We made it in with five seconds to spare. To judge from the way that Professor Snape glared at us when we entered, I could tell he was dying to punish us for something. 

As I took my seat, my thoughts once again traveled to whatever ordeal my crazy uncle was talking about. I suddenly realized that Jeanette and Meredith had only been friends of my family for fourteen years! That was when whatever it was happened! Maybe they knew what was wrong. 

Snape was in a particularly foul mood that day, but I had no idea why. He started terrorizing the other Gryffindors before the bell even rang. Tiny had most of her classes with us, because she was so advanced, so she was there as well. The only Professor who knew the truth about Destiny was Geoff's mum, and Jeanette and Meredith, I supposed. The others were only impressed with her advanced abilities. Professor McGonagall, who taught special Transfiguration courses even though she was Headmistress, loved Tiny's power and was training her to be an Animagus. 

Professor Snape, however, was not so impressed with Tiny. I often had the impression that he was not sure how to treat her. She was a Gryffindor, so he should dislike her, but she didn't _act_ like a Gryffindor, so perhaps she wasn't so bad. And then again, her mother was Ginny Weasley whom he detested, but her father was Draco Malfoy, who was his favorite pupil. Destiny confused everyone, but I don't think Snape liked the confusion. He more or less ignored her.

"Miss Potter!" he bellowed. 

I looked up from my daydreaming and found myself faced with a menacing Snape. I shrank back a bit.

"Yes, Professor?" I replied, as innocently as possible.

"What do you get when you mix eye of newt and tongue of dog?"

"A really corny muggle film about stereotypical witches?" I suggested. Geoff, Em, and Chris snickered behind their hands. Tiny shook her head. Snape turned and glared at them; they stopped immediately. Then he turned back to me.

"That will be ten points from Gryffindor for that disrespectful comment, Miss Potter. Can anyone tell me the correct answer? Miss Flint?"

Elana stuck her tongue out at me; I rolled my eyes. Then she answered, "I believe it's a youth potion, Professor."

"Correct, ten points to Slytherin. I will pair you up and we will begin. Miss Potter, why don't you work with Mr. Crabbe." He sneered at me. "Miss Paul and Miss Flint, Mr. Wallace and Mr. Goyle, Mr. Weasley and Miss Zabini..."

I groaned and walked over to Crabbe (not the one who Jaime pranked, his older brother). He was rather average looking with pale brown hair, watery eyes, and a large nose. Crabbe hated me as much as I hated him. As in the case of Elana, much of that was second hand; his father and mine had been enemies. But then again, Uncle Draco and my father had once hated each other, but now they were friends.

I tried to work in silence and ignore him, but ignoring wasn't my best thing. I'm annoyed rather easily and it didn't take much for a Slytherin to get on my nerves. He was saying rude things under his breath and I was very close to pouring our potion down his robes when Elana sauntered over.

"I need to borrow some powdered dragon scales," she announced in a loud voice. Professor Snape swept past our desk and nodded slightly at her while glaring at me. Then Elana came up next to me and whispered in my ear.

"How's your mummy, Potter?" There was a mean glint in her eyes.

"Fine, Flint. Why?"

"I just wondered if she was feeling any of the side effects yet."

She arranged our flower petals. I glared at her, my green eyes were flashing.

"What are you on about?" I asked impatiently, adding dried rosemary to the potion. Puffs of pale pink smoke clouded around us.

"Five points from Gryffindor, Miss Potter," Professor Snape called out. I scowled.

"Only that I know all about your mother's accident. More than you, probably. She should be careful right about now. It's about that time."

I turned and went face to face with Elana. She stepped back a bit. Then I realized others were watching, not to mention Snape, and with great effort I turned back to my potion, only to discover that Crabbe had ruined it by sticking an entire frozen ice wand into it. I looked at the ruined potion in horror. The first day of classes and I already had a fail. Snape would have my head for that. 

No doubt it had been a joint venture, with Elana to distract me while Crabbe botched the potion. I balled my fists and willed myself to breathe and calm down. Snape was headed my way. I glanced at Geoff and he nodded. He stepped back from Lorena Zabini, gave the signal to Chris and Em, who were waiting for instructions, and our emergency plan went into action.

I clutched my head and my stomach at the same time, moaned in pain, wobbled on my feet a bit, and fell to the floor in a faint. A fake faint, though. Then Chris, who happened to be excellent in Charms, cast a spell on me so that my face turned an odd shade of purplish–green. Geoff rushed to my side and cried out, and while everyone's attention was on me and Geoff's wailing, Em switched my potion with some other Slytherin.

"Lil! Speak to me, wake up! Lily! Lily!"

Geoff was bent over me so that no one else could see if I opened my eyes. "Tone it down a bit," I muttered in barely a whisper. "You're overdoing it."

Snape swept over to us and pushed Geoff out of the way. When he saw the color of my face he recoiled.

"What happened here?" No one spoke. "Well? I asked a question!" he barked.

Elana was the first to regain her voice, of course. "We didn't do anything, Professor!" she shrieked shrilly. "She was fine a minute ago, then she just collapsed and turned that horrid color!"

Snape turned sharply and descended upon my poor friend. Geoff kept to his part though. His eyes were wide and his face pale. I had to hand it to him, Geoff was a terrific actor.

"Did she drink any of that potion, Weasley?" Snape hissed.

Geoff made an effort to tear his eyes from my face and responded. "No, sir, she didn't! I have to get her to the Hospital Wing right away!"

And before Snape could say anything, Geoff picked me up and ran out of the room. He kept running until we were a safe distance from the dungeons. Then Geoff put me down and I nearly fell over from laughing so hard. Geoff waved his wand and my face returned to it's normal color. He started laughing too. We were sitting on the floor giggling madly.

"That was brilliant!" I exclaimed. "Perfect! I got out of Potions and some other twit is stuck with my messed up potion!"

Geoff could barely breathe. "Did you see Snape's face when I ran out of there? Classic!"

I was about to respond when a shadow fell over me. I turned my head and saw Jeanette Mills–Lupin staring down at me with a small smile.

"Now, I may be new here," she said, "but I was under the impression that you were supposed to be in class."

I exchanged a worried glance with Geoff. He had paled slightly; like his mother, he hated getting into trouble. 

Jeanette sighed. "Come on, you two. Stand up and follow me."

With sullen faces and heavy steps, we followed Jeanette to her office. It was the same office that had been inhabited by all of the former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors, including her husband. She had many thick volumes on her shelves as well as an owl who was sleeping with his head under his wing. Her desk was littered with parchment and quills and a crystal ball. She noticed Geoff stare at it. As far as we knew, Jeanette hated Divination.

"I haven't suddenly changed my mind, Geoffrey," she said. "It's not really a crystal ball. It's an orb of Antigone. It shows when a loved one is experiencing pain and/or suffering. I use it to keep tabs on the people at home." She sat down in her purple high–backed chair and leaned forward across her desk. "Now. What were you doing out of class?"

"Er, we were on our way to the Hospital Wing?" I said, unsure of how to respond.

"Who was injured?" Jeanette countered.

"I was," Geoff and I said at the same time. Jeanette only smiled.

"Since I suspect you're not telling me the truth, I'll just drop it. You can help me prepare for your class. I want to work on Patronus'."

She led us into her classroom. I saw stacks of chocolate bars and a briefcase. Geoff looked at me in confusion and I only shrugged. 

"Whose class did you escape from?" she asked over her shoulder. The briefcase shuddered and I jumped. "Relax, it's only a Boggart."

When I found my voice, I answered. "Professor Snape's."

"Oh, well, then I forgive you. I'd want to escape from his class too." Geoff and I exchanged another bewildered look. "Here, break this chocolate up, would you?"

We started breaking up slabs of heavy chocolate. Jeanette was humming under her breath and rooting around in her desk.

"Um, Jeanette?" I said hesitantly.

"You should probably get used to calling me Professor Lupin, Lily. Yes?"

"Would you happen to know why Snape's in such a horrid mood? I mean, Professors talk..."

Jeanette chuckled. "I suspect it has to do with me. Severus doesn't like me much, not the least because I married Remus. A lot of people didn't understand why I would marry a werewolf. Oh, not your parents," she said, misunderstanding the expression on my face, "or Sirius, or anyone at M.A.T.D.A., but many of the people who couldn't understand Remus in the first place, didn't understand my decision to marry him. But, then again, Snape has never liked me."

My hands were beginning to hurt. And they were getting covered in chocolate. Geoff was absent–mindedly eating some of it, and Jeanette was still humming. Suddenly I remembered that I wanted to ask Jeanette about the whole "ordeal" fourteen years ago. 

"Jeanette, er, Professor Lupin? Would you happen to know anything about an event that took place fourteen years ago?"

Jeanette dropped the briefcase on her foot and it only rocked harder now that the Boggart was disturbed. She swore inventively and turned away from me. I could see fear in her eyes.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, Lily. That will be all thank you, I'll see you later."

She ushered us out of the room just as the bell rang for us to go to lunch. Geoff was looking at me curiously, but there was no time for him to ask me anything as streams of students flooded out of the rooms and headed to the Great Hall. I made my way to the Library instead. I knew that Snape would be looking for me at lunch, it would be better if I was absent. It would be safe to return at dinner. Besides, I wasn't really hungry. 

Once I got to the library, I asked Madam Pince, the ancient librarian, for books on the Dark Arts in the past two decades. I also asked if she had any Daily Prophet articles from thirteen years ago. She brought me everything she had.

It was almost eerily quiet in the library and would have remained that way if someone hadn't come storming in dragging along two very familiar boys. I had never seen Professor Weasley quite so angry, or such an odd shade of puce.

"You two will stay in here until lunch is over and help Madam Pince shelf the books. Once classes are over you will report directly to the kitchens where you will help the House Elves with their chores."

She stormed out of there before even noticing me. David and Jamie (who else?) bounced over to me with identical grins. 

"Hullo, Lil!" Jamie said brightly. "Don't tell me you've been punished too!"

"Of course not," I replied snappishly. "I'm researching."

"What are you researching?" David asked, grabbing a book for me before I could reply. "Voldemort? You're nutters, Lil, Voldemort's gone for good. Evil's been vanquished and all that rot."

David looked exactly like his father, and I mean exactly. It's almost as if there was none of his mother in him at all. Whereas Geoff looked like a mixture of his two parents, and the twins tended to resemble Professor Weasley, David looked like a miniature Ron, but acted just like Fred and George.

"I know that," I said, snatching the book back. "Leave me alone, both of you. Don't you have books to stack?"

They laughed and ran off to terrorize Madam Pince. Both boys possessed an extraordinary amount of charm and were often able to talk their way out of trouble. They had even been able to do it with Professor McGonagall once or twice, but never with David's mum. She was impossible to charm.

I went back to my research. Actually, David was wrong. Voldemort may have been gone and his Death Eaters scattered to the wind, but there was a new danger. Do you remember when I made some small comment about how even the Prefects were segregated by House on the train? Well, you see, two years prior to this tale, five witches were "found out" and tortured to death in Scotland. It seemed that a new witch hunt had begun. Muggles and magical people couldn't live in peace. Many muggles were only too eager to expose a real witch or wizard and kill. 

The main difference between the old Salem Witch Hunts and what was happening now was that this time, muggles were catching real witches and wizards, and they were just killing them. No burnings or drownings, things that any capable witch or wizard could escape from, no, they were using guns. More and more of our numbers were dying each day since the first attack. A strong anti–muggle feeling had swallowed the wizarding world and it hit Hogwarts hard. Dad had to place Unnoticability charms on Jamie and me when we used King's Cross to get to school. 

It was the politics behind it all that really made a mess of things. You see, when the first murders were committed, the ministry was in deadlock on what to do about it. They really didn't want to wage a war against muggles. It would have been slaughter and pointless. Not to mention that it would only reenforce everything the muggles said about us. And unfortunately, right in the middle of the crisis, a new Minister of Magic was elected. Uncle Percy decided to retire from the minister's position and work in the new Muggle Relations office with his father. So that left the Minister's seat wide open.

So in Hogwarts, the pureblood/muggleborn tension was at it's highest. Not a day went by when some pureblood didn't make a mudblood comment. And muggleborns were in the most danger because their parents could "accidentally" say something. I know Chris worried and we worried about him.

I tried to ignore the sounds of catastrophe that I'm sure were coming from Jamie and David. I was still looking for information, but I came up with nothing. Soon it was time to go to class. I hurried to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and made it with a second to spare. I sat next to Em, who gave me a warm smile.

"Hello, I'm Professor Lupin," Jeanette said. "Some of your parents might have had a Professor Lupin when they attended Hogwarts. He is my husband. Today I'd like to begin with Patronuses which are very complicated and draining. The spell is Expecto Patronum. Please repeat."

Everyone repeated the words dutifully. Jeanette smiled. "Wonderful. Stand up please and take out your wands. I'll release the Boggart, which will hopefully turn into a Dementor when you face it."

A few people cried out, but I only scoffed. It was only a Boggart, it couldn't hurt you. 

When it came to me, I was ready. "Expecto Patronum!" I cried.

A weird fog descended over me and I heard sobbing. Real, heart-rending crying. As if someone was dying. Then I heard a scream, felt hands grab me, pick me up and run. I got dizzy.

"Expecto Patronum," I tried to call out, but I could barely hear my own voice. The crying was getting louder and someone was shaking me. I could hear my brother, he was crying too. I saw my mother. She told me she was going to die. Like Ralph, she said. I was being taken. Someone screamed. My brain was being scrambled.

Then the fog cleared and I was back in the classroom. Jeanette was standing over me, looking concerned. She handed me a large slab of chocolate; now I knew what it was for. 

"It's alright, Lily. Relax, take a deep breath."

Geoff helped me into a chair. I concentrated on breathing and noticed that everyone was staring at me. I ignored them and only looked at Jeanette.

"Professor, my mother didn't die."

That's what I saw when the Boggart/Dementor got so close. My mother dying, my family crying, Jamie and I were kidnapped. But that never happened.

"What do you mean, Miss Potter?" Jeanette asked, almost nervously, I thought.

"I saw my mother dying. Everyone was so miserable, and I think Jamie and I were being kidnapped. But, my mother isn't dead!"

Jeanette had gone rigid. "I think we'll end class there for now. Everyone, return to your common room."

Geoff and Chris helped me out of the room, I was limping a bit. Someone, I'm not sure who, had dinner sent up to me so I could remain in bed. I felt as if I had the flu and was still a little dizzy. After eating, I fell asleep almost instantly. 

I woke up in the dark. There was no knocking this time, I simply had gone to bed so early that I was no longer tired. Now I was hot, so I threw the covers back and got out of bed. The breeze from the window was cool against my skin and I felt better. I walked to the window, sat on the edge, and pulled my knees up. Then I simply gazed out into the night sky.

I loved how when I was at Hogwarts the sky seemed to be alive with stars. Astronomy was one of my favorite subjects, and I could name practically any constellation in the sky. It was soothing. 

I thought about what had happened earlier. I had always thought that when faced with a Dementor, one saw all of the terrible times of one's past. But my mother wasn't dead and Jamie and I had never been kidnapped. It just didn't make any sense. I had to find out what really happened fourteen years ago. If Jeanette wouldn't tell me, perhaps Meredith would.

I turned to go back to bed when a slight movement caught my eye. Someone was down by the lake. It was the dead of night, and yet someone was down by the lake. I watched the person intently and my breath was taken away.

It was a male person. He had pale blonde hair, bleached so light it was practically white, swept back, though some of it fell in his eyes. I couldn't make out his features from where I was, but I saw he was wearing a green tunic, black boots, and black leather pants. His head was thrown back and it looked like he was communicating with the gods. He was absolutely still; a moment later a magnificent hawk flew down and landed on his arm. It screeched it's hunting cry and the boy nodded sharply once. Then he threw his arm up and the hawk took flight.

I was holding my breath. It was the most magnificent thing I had ever seen. The boy and the hawk seemed perfectly matched, both hunters. I had never seen that boy before and I doubted he attended Hogwarts. He seemed too—_feral_. Suddenly, as I was watching him, he turned to look up at me. We stared at one another for a few minutes. Then I blinked and he was gone. I sighed.

"I think I'm delusional. First my uncle, now that mysterious boy." I looked over at Em's bed. The curtains were drawn and I could hear a small snore. I sighed again and climbed back into bed.

If, and only if, I wasn't, as David put it, "nutters" then I wanted to know who he was. He was so wild, so impressive, so breathtaking. I knew it would torture me if I didn't discover his identity. 

"Like I don't have enough to deal with," I grumbled. "Now I'm seeing things."

And I fell asleep. My dreams were filled with the boy, screams, dying, and, for some odd reason, Destiny. Blood, too, there was lots of blood. 

I needed a therapist, or at least, a stuffed animal.

A/N: So? Hmm? Well? (Those are my prompts for reviews) Tell me what you think.

And I'm making a new e-mail list for people who want to be alerted when the next chapter is up. Leave your e-mail in your review if you'd like to be on that list.

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Electra: this chapter doesn't really have a cliffhanger, but expect many more in the future.

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Isys: It will always be in Lily's PoV. . .everyone wants to know about Nicole! Hmm, I'm not saying!. . .and I personally prefer Remus to Sirius and I had planned to get him and Jeanette together from the beginning, sorry. . .although, for a while, I flirted with the idea of pairing her with Snape, or at least have Snape like her too.

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Kit Cloudkicker: thanks a bunch!

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missunderstood: I'm glad you like the nicknames, I think it sets them apart and shows that they're friends.

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Mitie Mouse: it's alright, I forgive you. Just don't let it happen again! LOL. I was wondering what happened to you, but I figured you abandoned me. *sniff* I'm glad to know that isn't what happened. 

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Roxy: you have been a very faithful reviewer and I thank you. 

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Saphire: I'm sorry it wasn't up so soon, but I've been incredibly busy.

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Sehrish: Lil and Geoff are best friends, but even best friends don't tell each other everything.

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soccerstar: just to be clear, Remus isn't a Professor. Jeanette is and her last name is now Lupin so she's called Professor Lupin.

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Xavi Darling: what can I say? Your review didn't suck, it was lovely. I made a chart for you and everyone else who was confused, I hope it helps.


	3. Hell Hath No Fury: Children and Nicknam...

Hell Hath No Furyâ€"Children and nicknames  
  
  
  
Ron m. Hermione  
  
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Geoffrey (Geoff) [7th] David [5th] Albert (Bert) & Melinda (Linda, Mel, or Molly) [3rd]  
  
  
  
Harry m. Lisa  
  
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Lily (Lil or Lils) [7th] James (Jamie or Jim) [5th]  
  
  
  
Draco m. Ginny  
  
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Destiny (Desi or Tiny) [4th]  
  
  
  
Percy m. Penelope {only two of their kids still attend Hogwarts}  
  
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Godric (Ric) Rowena Helga Willy & Arthur [6th]  
  
  
  
Fred m. Angelina  
  
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Martha [3rd] Lauren [1st] Kristen (does not yet attend Hogwarts)  
  
  
  
Extras:  
  
Emily Paul: daughter of Katie Bell and a muggle); called Em [7th]  
  
Christopher Wallace: muggleborn; called Chris [7th]  
  
Samantha Wood: daughter of Oliver Wood and OC [7th]  
  
Claire Eagle: muggleborn [7th]  
  
Kenneth Jordan: son of Alicia Spinnet and Lee Jordan [7th]  
  
Elana Flint: daughter of Pansy Parkinson and Marcus Flint [7th]  
  
McKenzie Thomas: son of Dean Thomas and OC [5th] 


End file.
